Voice of Churchill Downs, Ellis Park dead at 47

Luke Kruytbosch, the track announcer for Churchill Downs and Ellis Park, died Sunday night in his Evansville apartment.

He was 47.

Kruytbosch replaced Kurt Becker as track announcer at Churchill Downs in 1999. He also spent a decade calling the races at Ellis Park in Henderson. According to a timeline on the Kentucky Derby Web site, Kruytbosch was just the fifth track announcer in Churchill Downs history.

Vanderburgh County, Ind., coroner Donald L. Erk Sr. told Business First that Kruytbosch died at approximately 11 p.m. EDT of an apparent heart attack.

According to the Churchill Downs Web site, Kruytbosch called races during the winter months at Turf Paradise in Phoenix.